Abdominal muscles are important muscles of a human body for both performing specific motions such as bending or twisting, for example, as well as for stabilizing the torso of a person during other activities. It is an important aspect of increasing the fitness level of a person to exercise the abdominal muscles so that they may properly stabilize the torso during activity as well as provide the necessary range of mobility required.
Abdominal muscles are commonly divided into three main muscles groups, the rectus abdominis, the transversus abdominis and the obliques. The obliques include both the internal oblique and the external oblique muscles (hereinafter collectively called the “obliques”) and serve to rotate and side-bend the torso of the person as well as to stabilize and reduce the volume of the person during exhaling a breath. The transversus abdominis provide stability to the torso and help to compress the ribs during exhaling.
Exercises for the obliques and the transversus abdominis commonly include twisting, side crunches, and side bends. Twisting motions typically do not incorporate any type of resistance to the twisting motion and are therefore of limited effectiveness. In addition, side crunches and side bends are known to also rely on and utilize the hip flexors of the person when performing this exercise.
Using the hip flexors during abdominal muscle exercises is not desirable in certain circumstances for several reasons. The use of the hip flexors during an exercise reduces the isolation of the abdominal muscles and therefore reduces the effectiveness of the abdominal muscle training. In addition, when the exercise is for the purpose of rehabilitating a person, the use of the hip flexors to complete the exercise may exacerbate an existing injury.
What is desirable is a method and apparatus for exercising the oblique and transversus abdominis muscles of a user as well as the transversus abdominis that permits an adjustable resistance. The desired method and apparatus will also not substantially utilize the hip flexors of the user.